Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

•Part of a 3-Year Project to simplify regulations2017 Gamefish• 2018 Salmon• 2019 Marine Fish and Shellfish

• Introduction at NOF Forecast meetings• Basic Tenets• Broad Proposals• Brainstorming with Public

•Based on brainstorming, refine broad proposals and develop waterbody specific proposals

•Basic Tenets•Consider implications at a population level

versus individual fish level•Stop adding complexity•Reduce the number of stream reaches•Standardize opening and closing dates•Standardize the daily limit (recognizing

conservation needs)•Decouple salmon and steelhead limits•Eliminate layered gear restrictions

•Broad Proposals• Daily limit

• 6 fish, no more than 2 adults

• 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. Bonus fish where needed.

• Combine jacks and adults with a limit of 2, 3, or 4 per day

• 2 adults, no limit on jacks

• Gear Restrictions• One gear restriction for all salmon fisheries?

• Boat Limit/Party Fishing• Allow everywhere?

• 2-Pole• Allow everywhere except quota fisheries and most marine

areas?

• Fish Handling Rules• Eliminate?

Forecast: 99,000

Tentative Proposal: close sockeye recreational retention from mouth to CJD (and tributaries)◦ Early in the NOF process.

◦ In LCR, change requires consensus amongst Co-managers (Washington and Oregon)

Conservation: return as many sockeye to the spawning grounds as possible

◦ Lake Wenatchee not forecasted to meet escapement needs

U.S. v Oregon (2018-2027) guidelines◦ Preseason: 2.0% ESA impact limit

◦ 30% buffer in place until run size update

◦ Catch Balance more constraining then impacts

Commission Policy ◦ Sport and Comm. buffers in place prior to run update

◦ Comm./sport impact-sharing at 20/80

◦ 25% of the sport allocation reserved for above BON

Below Bonneville sport◦ Season: Jan 1 - Apr 7, 1 chinook bag beginning March 1

◦ Catch allocation: 7,157 upriver (8,400 all stocks) prior to a run update

Bonneville to WA/OR border above McNary sport◦ Season: March 16- May 7, 1 chinook bag limit

◦ Catch allocation: 954 upriver prior to a run update

Yakima River, Snake River (920 upriver), & Icicle River◦ Addressed later in presentation

All catch data rounded and includes release mortalities

• Open in late April (late compared to downriver)– fisheries timed concurrent with increased Dam

passage

• Fisheries really heat up in early May– Chinook abundance is reaching peak

• Limited areas open– this allows intensive monitoring, extends duration

of fisheries & distributes opportunity (~18 miles if all four areas are open)

• Season structured the same as 2017

• Preseason Impact Estimate = 920 (883 harvest and 37 release mortalities)

• Expected opening April 20

• Open 3 areas (IHR, LGO, Clark)

• Goal: Provide 2-4 fishing events

• Bag limit of 1 adult/ day & 2 days/week

• WDFW will monitor harvest & may close any area early to help distribute harvest or manage available impacts

Thurs Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues

IHR

LGO

LGR

Clark

• 2018 Fishery

• Low returns are forecasted for 2018 and there are currently no plans for a Grande Ronde spring Chinook fishery.

Total adult forecast (to Yakima River mouth) = 6,340adults (74% of 8,530 10-yr rolling avg.)

Hatchery forecast = 2,000 (2017 forecast = 2,760; actual return = 2,230)

2017 Harvest: 449 adults + 301 jacks = 750

Lower river section from Hwy. 240 Bridge to SR 241Bridge (Mabton–Sunnyside Rd. - new area expansion) expected to open Friday, April 27 and run to mid-June.

Upper river section from I-82 at Union Gap to Roza Dam will likely open in early to mid-May and run to June 30.

Daily limit – 2 hatchery chinook. Gear restrictions: up to two, single-point barbless hooks.

No fishing from boats equipped with internal combustion engines upstream of I-82 bridge at Selah Gap

Two-poles allowed with endorsement

Fishing conditions will likely be poor at times because of above normal snowpack runoff

2017 Regulations:

◦ Icicle: Closed initially via emergency regulation due forecasted returns not high enough to meet hatchery broodstock needs. Later re-opened via emergency regulation for appx. 5 weeks to harvest 300 fish. Results: 197 angler trips, 800 hours fished, 41 fish caught,

41 ad-clipped harvested, & 2 ad-intact released

2018 Regulations:

Icicle: Currently in pamphlet (May 15-July 31)

Note: Forecasted abundance is same as 2017 (very low). High likelihood the Icicle River fishery may close or open late.

Harvest Guidelines are three-tiered ◦ U.S. v Oregon MA: Share 50/50 treaty/non-Indian◦ Upper Col MA : Share above/below Priest Rapids

Dam based on run size ◦ Commission policy: Share below Priest Rapids Dam

80/20 sport/comm in 2017

Forecast: 67,300 fish◦ 11,200 fish available for in-river non-Indian sport

and commercial fisheries, Colville and Wanapum tribal fisheries

◦ 7,600 (68%) upstream of PRD & 3,600 (28%) downstream of PRD

Below Bonneville Dam: Options include 2 Chinook mark-selective (release sockeye). 1. June 16-June 262. June 27-July 313. June 24-July 74. June 22-July 4

Bonneville Dam-Hwy 395: Mark selective, June 16- July 31, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 adult hatchery chinook, release sockeye)

Hwy 395 to Priest Rapids Dam: See below in Tri-cities summer season

Priest Rapids Dam to Rock Island Dam: Mark selective, July 1-August 31, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

Rock Island Dam to Wells Dam: Mark selective, July 1-October 15, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

Wells Dam to Brewster Bridge: Mark selective, July 16 – August 31, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

Brewster Bridge to Chief Joseph Dam: Mark selective, July 1-October 15, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

Wenatchee River: Mark selective, August 1-September 30, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

*Entiat River: Non-mark selective, July 16-September 30, daily limit 6 (release sockeye and coho)

Okanogan River ◦ Mouth to Hwy 97 Bridge: Mark selective, July 1-October

15, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

◦ Hwy 97 Bridge to Mallot Bridge: Mark selective, July 1-September 15, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

◦ Upstream of Mallot Bridge: Mark selective, July 1-September 15, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

Similkameen River: Mark selective, July 1-September 15, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 hatchery adult chinook, release wild adult chinook, sockeye, and coho)

Fishery Options: Brewster Pool “Bubble Fishery”

Brewster Bridge to CJDNot considering mainstem areas below BB (mixed stock)

Wild adult chinook retention (likely 1 fish as part of daily adult limit)

Targeting wild adult chinook in excess of spawning escapement needs

Evaluate in-seasonCoordination with tribal co-managers If opened, by emergency regulationLow confidence of an opener2018 forecast is similar to 2017 returnUltimately a low number of excess wild adult chinook in

2017Potentially lower number ins 2018 (lingering effects of

“Blob”)

Hwy. 395 Bridge to I-182 Bridge (CRC 534)

June 16 - Aug. 15. Daily limit 4. Up to one (1) may be an

adult hatchery CHINOOK. Release wild adult chinook and

sockeye.

I-182 Bridge to Priest Rapids Dam (CRC 535/536)

June 16 - Aug. 15. Daily limit 6. Up to two (2) may be adult

hatchery CHINOOK. Release wild adult chinook and

sockeye.

Below Bonneville◦ Managed in-season due to Upriver Bright constraints with

remaining options under consideration, 1 Chinook: ◦ 1. Open 7 days/week and close when impacts run out.◦ 2. Open 7 days and close at 1 pm (including night closure)

to all salmonids.

Z6 sport – Bonneville to Highway 395◦ Managed in-season due to Upriver Bright constraints:

August 1-December 31, daily limit 6, 1 Chinook (release sockeye).

Priest Rapids Dam to Rock Island Dam – Non-mark selective, September 1-October 15, daily limit 6 (no more than 2 adult chinook, release sockeye and coho)

Above Rock Island – Evaluate in-season

• Opened all of Snake River beginning in 2011

• Will use CRC for harvest estimates

• Plan to open all areas again in 2018 (Mid August or first of September to October 31)

• Opened by emergency rule, expecting similar limits and restriction as in 2017

• Continuing work on a joint state Fall Chinook FMEP

Highway 395 bridge to Old Hanford townsite wooden powerline towers (534, 535)

Aug. 16 - Oct. 31. Daily limit 6. Up to 2 may be adults.

Use of two poles permitted with permit.

2018 Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Regulations

Old Hanford townsite wooden powerline towers to Priest Rapids Dam (536)

Aug. 16 - Oct. 15. Daily limit 6. Up to 2 may be adults.

Use of two poles permitted with permit.

2018 Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Regulations (cont.)

2018-19 Ringold Springs Hatchery Summer Steelhead Regulations

October 1 – 31 Daily limit 2 hatchery steelhead with both adipose fin clipped andventral fin clipped.

Nov. 1 – Mar 31 Daily limit 2 hatchery steelhead.

April 1 – 15, 2019 Ringold area bank fishery?